The Man in the White Suit

1954 Ealing comedy predicts inbuilt obsolescence

Alexander Mackendrick’s charming 1954 Ealing comedy, which foresaw (in it’s own whimsical way) the modern corporate crime of inbuilt obsolescence, is showing in the Sunday matinee slot and will be preceded by a 15 minute selection of films about science and the future from the Scottish Film Archive.

A dishwasher in a textile mill invents a fabric that never wears out or gets dirty. Mackendrick adds a touch of acidity to the Ealing comedy formula and Guinness is spectacularly good, exploiting his trademark smarminess to great effect.